People in the south of the Netherlands more active in crime prevention

15/07/2014 15:00

Residents of the south part of the Netherlands are more active in crime prevention than people living elsewhere. They look better after their possessions and their homes are better protected. People in the south feel less safe at home than people living in other regions.

People in the south most active in crime prevention, people in the north are least active

Residents in the south (provinces of North Brabant and Limburg) most often take precautionary measures against theft; residents in the north (provinces of Friesland, Groningen and Drenthe) are least active. For example, 74 percent of residents in the south claim they do not leave valuables unattended in their cars, versus 64 percent in the north. In the south, 40 percent leave valuable items at home to avoid the risk of being mugged, as against 30 percent of people in the north. People in the south also more often leave the lights on when they are not at home and park their bicycles in guarded facilities.

Social preventive behaviour by part of the country, 2013

Houses in south of the Netherlands better protected against crime

In the south of the Netherlands, 69 percent of residents indicate that their houses are fitted up with extra security locks or bolts on front doors, versus 64 percent in the north. In the south, 15 percent of houses have alarm systems, in the north only 10 percent. The most obvious regional difference is the presence of (roll-down) shutters in front of windows and/or doors. In the south, more than one in three residents (35 percent) have (roll-down) shutters; in the north fewer than one in ten (9 percent).

Technical measures taken to prevent crime in and around the house by part of the country, 2013

People in the south feel less safe at home

The focus on crime prevention in the south has to do with the fact that residents in the south feel less safe in the domestic environment. Ten percent of residents in the south occasionally feel unsafe at home. When at home alone in the evening, 18 percent occasionally feel unsafe. Nearly one in three (32 percent) do not answer the door in the evening because they think it is not safe. These feelings of uneasiness at home are more common in the south than in the western part of the country and notably higher than in the east and the north. In the north, for example, 7 percent occasionally feel unsafe at home, 13 percent feel unsafe when they are at home alone and 20 percent do not answer the door at night. The burglary rate in the south is also higher.